WO2021093909A1

WO2021093909A1 - Method for processing flexible substrates and vacuum processing system for carrying out the method

Info

Publication number: WO2021093909A1
Application number: PCT/DE2020/000274
Authority: WO
Inventors: Manfred Danziger
Original assignee: Elfolion Gmbh
Priority date: 2019-11-14
Filing date: 2020-11-07
Publication date: 2021-05-20
Also published as: KR20220100898A; CA3164689A1; US20220380890A1; DE102019007935A1; CN114729444A; DE102019007935B4; CN114729444B; EP4058616A1; JP2023502058A

Abstract

The problem addressed by the invention, which relates to a method for processing flexible substrates (18) and to a vacuum processing system for carrying out the method for processing flexible substrates (18), is that of providing a solution which enables reliable and uniform processing resulting in a sufficient quality. Said problem is solved by the method in that the flexible substrate (18) is a flexible matrix-shaped or lattice-shaped construction material, a first layer of the flexible substrate (18) is transported in a first transport direction (64), and at least one second layer of the flexible substrate (18) is transported in parallel with and closely spaced apart from the first layer in an opposite, second transport direction (65) through a free region (26) in the process region which can be evacuated, wherein at least one usable flow (13) of at least one processing medium (11) penetrates the first and the second layer of the flexible substrate (18) simultaneously while they are transported through the free region (26) in a contradirectional manner. The problem is solved by the arrangement in that a roller group (20) and roller group (21) are arranged, in that a plurality of smaller rollers (24) and a plurality of larger rollers (23) are arranged in each roller group (20, 21) for deflecting the flexible substrate (18), in that a free region (26) comprising a processing medium (11) is arranged between the roller group (20) and the roller group (21), through which free region the flexible substrate (18) is transported in a contradirectional manner and without directional change, and in that at least two closely spaced apart layers of the flexible substrate (18) are transported in a contradirectional manner in transport direction (64) and in transport direction (65).

Description

Method for processing flexible substrates and vacuum processing system for implementing the method The invention relates to a method for processing flexible substrates in which a flexible substrate is moved through an evacuable process area of a vacuum processing system for processing with a processing instrument.

The invention also relates to a vacuum processing system for implementing the method for processing flexible substrates, the vacuum processing system having at least one unwinding module, a winding module and an evacuable process area with a processing instrument or several processing instruments arranged between these modules.

The invention relates in particular to the interaction of a vacuum processing system and its optimization for processing flexible film-like substrates, these being characterized by a very high proportion of free open volume.

Flexible substrates in a so-called band shape or band-shaped substrates can consist of a wide variety of materials, such as, for example, plastics, metals, paper and textiles. Such flexible strip-shaped substrates are usually wound onto a roll, also called a coil, and are therefore referred to as a winding or a coil. For processing, the flexible strip-shaped substrates are unwound from a first reel, which is stored on an unwinding device or an unwinding module, processed in the evacuable process area of a vacuum processing system, which can include one or more connected modules, and then on another roll , which is mounted on a winding device or a winding module, wound up again.

Such a device is referred to in its entirety as a “roll-to-roll” system or as a “roll-to-roll” winding device or as a “roll-to-roll” belt system. If the system is used in vacuum technology, it is referred to as modular "roll-to-roll" vacuum processing systems. Are in the modular If coating processes are carried out in the process areas of the “roll-to-roll” system, we speak of “roll-to-roll” vacuum coating systems.

As a rule, several different processing steps are required to process a flexible substrate in tape form. The requirements resulting from the respective physical and / or chemical process conditions in a processing area can differ completely from module to module of the vacuum processing system.

Physical and / or chemical process conditions are in particular pressure, temperature, amount of gas flow, type and composition of the gas in the processing area of the flexible substrate and the physical or chemical mode of action of the processing media, including processing instruments or processing tools or processing units, which are used to process the Belt material, mostly for processing or coating its surfaces, are used. The necessity to use a modular structure of the “roll-to-roll” vacuum coating system is derived from these process requirements or process conditions.

For a modular vacuum processing system, there are effective methods of practically preventing pressure equalization or gas exchange between the individual modules or chambers of the vacuum processing system. Therefore, there is a requirement for many applications, as connection devices between the individual modules or chambers, also unwinding device and winding device are viewed in this frame of reference as modules, to install devices with lock function that largely prevent pressure equalization and / or gas exchange, the transport of the however, allow flexible tape-shaped substrate. A gas exchange or a pressure equalization between neighboring rooms such as the modules or chambers is not completely prevented, but is considerably restricted, and usually even minimized to a close degree.

Locks that prevent pressure equalization or gas exchange between the individual modules or chambers or chamber sections as far as possible, can be used as lock assemblies or as so-called lock chambers in modular vacuum coating systems.

A lock assembly embodies so-called roller locks. With roller locks, two rollers are pressed against each other with a preset force. The rollers rotate in the opposite direction and are usually not driven. It is advantageous if the rollers experience an additional supporting force for their rotary movement. The rollers are inserted into a housing that only allows a connection path between the two adjacent chambers of a vacuum processing system between the rollers. Rollers of this type are usually coated with a material which prevents the surface of the flexible strip-shaped substrate from being influenced or not being influenced significantly.

In WO 001999050472 A1, a lock assembly is known which is referred to as a roller lock and, in a first embodiment, consists of two rollers. In this arrangement, a first and a second roller are arranged pretensioned in order to generate a contact pressure between the two rollers, whereby a very good seal between the two adjacent chambers, in the connecting area of which the lock roller pair is integrated, is achieved. Sealing components are arranged in the area of the walls, the side of these components facing the respective roller having a cylindrical shape. It is intended that the gap is kept as small as technically and technologically possible so that pressure equalization and gas exchange can be prevented as almost completely as possible.

An alternative variant is also described in the document WO 001999050472 A1. This roller lock consists of a roller, which is opposite to two corresponding sealing components, the band-shaped flexible material on the roller surface being transported through the gap between the roller and a sealing component from one chamber to a second.

Another type of lock is represented by so-called gap locks. The strip material is guided through the gap locks in a freely hanging manner. In the case of strip materials, the gap width, i.e. the distance between the top and bottom of the room, which is spanned by the gap lock and through which the strip material is pulled, is no greater than ten times the thickness of the strip material. Areas within two to three times the thickness of the strip material are preferred. The length of such slit sluices is usually between 10 and 40 cm.

If the gas exchange and thus a pressure equalization are to be prevented particularly effectively and / or the working pressure in the adjacent modules or chambers differs by more than an order of magnitude, then it is known to use so-called lock chambers to decouple the individual volumes of the system. A lock chamber offers the possibility of a separate pump-out nozzle to which a pump or a pump system can be connected, whereby different pressure conditions or gas feeds can be implemented in the two modules or chambers adjoining the lock chamber.

DE 102005042762 A1 describes a vacuum coating system for continuously coating a film. The vacuum coating system comprises a single vacuum chamber with a coating roller. The interior of the vacuum chamber is separated into various sub-chambers by partition walls, which thereby assume a modular function. The lower chambers can be evacuated by independent vacuum pumps. When the film material is transported through the lower chambers, the film surface can be coated using vacuum technology.

In WO 2019/141303 A1, film-like functional materials are described which fulfill at least one predetermined function and can be used for specific, specific physical, chemical, physicochemical, biological or other technical or technological purposes.

These functional materials consist of at least one construction material, which is arranged as a film-like carrier medium comprising a total carrier volume with a cross-sectional dimension of <100 μm.

Foil-like materials, like foils, are thin materials in sheet or web form with a large expansion in two dimensions and a comparatively small expansion in a third dimension. The difference between film-like materials and films is that the body is a film-like material, which is characterized by x, y and z, where x and y are the surface area of the body and z is the direction of the cross-sectional expansion, ie the measurable distance from one Side of the body to the opposite side of the body, characterize and Dc the length, Ay the width and Dz the cross-sectional extent of the film-like material, within this dimension it is contiguous but not permeated by a material, i.e. the material which consists of the film-like material, does not completely fill the three-dimensional space that is spanned by this body, macroscopically.

In the case considered in the present invention, the volume of the free space is at least as large as the volume that is claimed by the construction elements of the construction material. As a rule, however, the volume of the free space is even larger, in certain cases even much larger.

The construction material is to be regarded as a matrix or a lattice and is composed of linear and node-shaped carrier elements that form the material components of the carrier medium and penetrate the total carrier volume, to form a band-like expansion with interconnected partial volumes of the total carrier volume located therein, which through in Support elements located in the vicinity are stretched.

Such matrix or grid-like materials are enjoying increasing importance for use as a structural component in functional materials. Such functional materials are characterized, for example, by their electrical, magnetic, optical, acoustic, biological-chemical or other properties. Often these matrix or grid-shaped construction materials represent the starting material for further processing into functional materials. As a rule, these matrix or grid-shaped construction materials are usually characterized by their special mechanical properties such as their rigidity or strength, their density, their hardness or their Wear resistance are characterized by thermally stable base materials such as glass or high-temperature plastics. Such high-temperature plastics are for example wise aramids, polyimides (PI), polyaryletherketone (PEAK), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or other thermally stable plastics.

The matrix or grid-like construction materials can also consist of other materials, such as metals, generally referred to as metal wire, such as copper wire, aluminum wire, steel wire, wire made of metal alloys or metal-coated metal wire, or of mineral fibers, for example rock wool fibers.

According to the prior art, a disadvantage in the processing or processing of construction materials which are constructed like a matrix or a grid is that there is often insufficiently reliable and effective processing in all areas of such construction materials. This effect is particularly noticeable in coating processes. Effective process management is therefore usually not possible and the quality of the coating is subject to strong fluctuations. There is thus a need for methods for processing flexible substrates and vacuum processing systems for implementing such methods for processing flexible substrates which overcome the disadvantages known from the prior art.

The invention is based on the object of specifying a method for processing flexible substrates and a vacuum processing system for implementing the method for processing flexible substrates, with which reliable processing that is uniform in all areas of a flexible matrix or grid-shaped substrate, in particular when performing a coating process, is made possible in a sufficient quality. The solution to this problem becomes particularly important for the execution of vacuum coating processes. In particular, the processing of film-like, flexible, matrix-like or grid-like materials is to be improved, which are a starting material or intermediate stages in the processing of the material in the sense of the production of a functional material.

The object is achieved by a method for processing flexible substrates with the features according to claim 1 of the independent claims. Further developments are given in the dependent claims. The object is achieved by a vacuum processing system for implementing the method for processing flexible substrates with the features according to claim 11 of the independent claims. Further developments are given in the dependent claims. Furthermore, the term flexible, matrix-like or grid-like material is to be used both for a so-called starting material and for materials in all intermediate processing stages of a manufacturing process.

The starting materials are in particular construction materials which have the shape of a matrix or a grid and consist of a plurality of individual carrier elements. Here, the carrier elements are linear and thus large in a first dimension and small in a second and third dimension. These carrier elements can also have a knot-shaped design. For example, an extension in an x-direction can be assumed as a first dimension, an extension in a second dimension being a y-direction and an extension in a third dimension being a z-direction. Here, the x-direction can coincide with the transport direction of the flexible, matrix-shaped or grid-shaped construction material.

Such linear carrier elements are carrier elements, the extent of which is approximately the same in the two dimensions in which the linear carrier element is designed to be small. These two dimensions, in which the linear carrier element is made small, can be, for example, the y-direction and the z-direction.

The ratio of the large first dimension (x-direction) to the two smaller second and third dimensions (y-direction, z-direction) is at least 50: 1 Dimension 50 times larger than an extension of the carrier element in its second and third dimensions.

The ratio of the dimensions of the two smaller second and third dimensions to one another is, for example, not less than 1: 5 and not greater than 5: 1. Thus, the extent of the third dimension is, for example, one Area between 5 times as large as the second dimension and 5 times smaller than the second dimension.

In the case of at least some sections of the spacing between the linear carrier elements, the limits shown for the linear carrier elements can also be exceeded. The linear carrier elements are at least partially spaced apart from one another, so that the proportion of the surface effect of the linear carrier elements in relation to the geometric plane in which the surfaces of the linear carrier elements lie is as good as negligible and therefore no almost complete delimitation of the spanned partial volumes is effected from each other by the linear support elements.

The carrier elements, which penetrate the total carrier volume, are thus arranged in sections spaced from one another in such a way that partial volumes are spanned between adjacent carrier elements. The spanned partial volumes are designed as open, interconnected spaces.

In particular, the total volume of the free partial volumes within the construction material is not smaller than the total volume that is occupied by the carrier elements. The ratio of the total volume of the free partial volumes to the total volume occupied by the carrier elements of at least 2: 1 or at least 5: 1, particularly preferably at least 10: 1, is preferred.

In simplified terms, a construction material of this type can be described as a matrix or lattice that spans a band-like structure, which is traversed by a few linear support elements based on a unit area that is removed from the band plane can also cross at different angles and thereby form a knot, that is to say a knot-shaped carrier element, or meet in a knot-shaped carrier structure. The remaining volume area, which is located within the band-shaped matrix, represents an empty space in the sense of a vacuum-technical processing. If the matrix or grid-shaped construction material is viewed from the top or bottom of the band, the property of the structure is It can be seen that it has more empty space than areas of space that are filled with solids.

This consideration is necessary if the construction material in the form of a matrix or grid is to be processed on the top or bottom. The proportion of solid components in the matrix or grid-like construction material is so low that a conventional processing method for this type of material proves to be highly ineffective.

The situation is even more serious when the solid elements, i.e. the linear and node-shaped carrier elements, are to be coated with a material to be deposited. The coating unit, which is arranged above and / or below the strip-like structure, is only opposed to a few surfaces of the solid elements of the matrix or lattice-shaped construction material, on which material deposition can be carried out by the operation of the coating units. The invention provides that a first layer of the flexible substrate or the matrix or grid-like construction material in a first transport direction and at least one second layer of the flexible substrate parallel or at least quasi-parallel to the first layer of the flexible substrate and closely spaced from it is transported in a second transport direction opposite to the first transport direction through a first free area in the evacuable process area. Preferably, more layers, such as four or six layers in opposite directions, are also transported closely spaced from one another and preferably parallel to one another through the evacuable process area in which at least one process source is arranged. If the band-like structure of the flexible substrate or the matrix or grid-like construction material, based on a removed unit area that lies in the band plane, is traversed by a particularly small number of line-like carrier elements, the number of each can be in opposite directions through the evacuable process area in which at least one process source is arranged, even higher than six, in certain cases even significantly higher. It is planned to transport up to 15 layers in opposite directions through the evacuable process area. In an alternative embodiment it is provided that a first layer of the flexible substrate is transported in a first transport direction through a first free area and subsequently in a third transport direction different from the first transport direction through a second free area. The flexible substrate is then deflected and closely spaced in at least one second layer and preferably parallel to the first layer in a fourth transport direction opposite the third transport direction through the second free area and subsequently in a second transport direction opposite the first transport direction through the first free area in evacuated process area transported. Provision is also made for at least one process source to be arranged in the free areas, by means of which the matrix or grid-shaped construction material can be processed. In this alternative design, too, up to 15 layers can be transported through the open areas in opposite directions. It is also intended to arrange a first group of rollers and a second group of rollers in a vacuum processing system, with several smaller-diameter rollers and several larger-diameter rollers, hereinafter referred to as smaller and larger rollers, being arranged in each roller group for deflecting the flexible substrate . A free area with at least one processing instrument through which the flexible substrate is transported in opposite directions and without a change of direction is arranged between the first roller group and the second roller group.

Here, the groups of rollers are arranged in such a way that the flexible substrate is transported in at least two opposing layers, preferably arranged parallel to one another, in a first transport direction and a second transport direction.

Alternatively, it is provided that a first role group, a second role group and a third role group are arranged, that a second free area is arranged between the first role group and the third role group and a third free area is arranged between the second role group and the third role group, wherein the roller groups are arranged in such a way that the flexible substrate in at least two layers arranged parallel to one another through the second free- rich and the third free area is transported. At least one processing instrument is arranged in the first and / or in the second free area, the flexible substrate being transported through the free areas in opposite directions and without a change in direction. It is also provided here that the transport direction of the flexible substrate through the second free area is at an angle to the transport direction of the flexible substrate through the third free area.

With the aid of the vacuum processing system described here for processing flexible substrates and the associated process, the following possibilities and advantages arise:

• It is possible to prepare the surface of the elements to be processed, that is to say of the linear and node-shaped carrier elements, for a subsequent coating with the aid of surface processing such as ion or ion beam etching. »The linear and knot-shaped carrier elements can be provided with an enveloping coating, that is, the linear and knot-shaped carrier elements are completely covered with the material to be coated.

• Furthermore, the free areas between the linear and node-shaped carrier elements can be filled or filled with materials based on special vacuum coating processes.

• Layers can be built up on special areas of the linear carrier elements, for example on their inner edges and on areas of the node-shaped carrier elements that are already provided with an enveloping coating with the same coating material or a different material, which can be used to open the spaces of the ma - to cover trix-shaped or lattice-shaped construction material or the flexible substrate.

• In addition, the surface of the deposited materials can be appropriately functionalized, for example by means of an ion treatment. The peculiarity, which is reflected in particular in the unique selling point of the structural structure of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material already described, leads to the fact that, in order to enable effective processing, that the processing technology has to be changed significantly compared to conventional film processing in vacuum chambers or in vacuum systems.

Different types of processing and the different processing tasks have to be considered, which lead to solutions that differ from one another, in some cases significantly, for the structural and apparatus set-up within the vacuum system.

For a description, the following preliminary considerations should be made at the beginning:

Various physical quantities that result as the product of a field and an area are referred to as the flow F. The scalar flow of a vector field, the scalar product of the vector field and area, is particularly important in practice. Important scalar flows of vector fields are, for example, the volume flow, the magnetic flow and the electrical flow. In simplified terms, the flow F can be understood as the number of particles, the mass, the energy and so on that moves through an area per time span. This state of the art can be found, for example, under the link: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluss_(Physik).

It is also known that a current is generally referred to as a quantity passing through a given cross-sectional area per unit of time, that is to say as: dQ dt '(1) where Q here refers to a quantity. If the quantity carries an energy, the current corresponds to an output. A stream is therefore a special flow that is characterized by the fact that a quantifiable amount is transported.

The electric current or the current strength of the charge Qi_adung during a certain time unit t is also a flow F, namely the flow of the current density Fe _{ΐGqGhίϋoΐΊΐq}

F current density

where f is the vector field current flux density and A is the normal standing area. Further examples are the volume flow, i.e. the volume per time, the mass flow, i.e. the - weight-related - mass per time, the particle flow, i.e. the number of particles per time, e.g. sputtered particles in a vacuum coating process, the radiation flow, i.e. the electromagnetic radiation per Time, or the luminous flux, i.e. light or photons per time. This state of the art can be found, for example, under the link: https://www.chemie.de/lexikon/Fluss_(Physik).html.

In contrast to the particle flow, nothing material is transported with an electrical flow. Although the electrical flow has mathematical properties that are similar to those of a real flow in a flow field, for example, it does not transport anything material such as charge carriers, but only transfers the effect of the underlying force field from one point to another.

In the case of surface processing technology in vacuum systems to be considered, the flow F includes all processes, that is, both the material transport, for example a particle transport, and the immaterial transport, for example the expansion of a field.

The basic idea is that the matrix or grid-shaped construction materials are influenced by the action of a river F in a configuration in which they lie on top of one another at a small distance from one another and move in a meandering manner. The river represents a stream or a spreading field, the source of which is a processing tool.

The flow F is sent through a surface, the so-called flow exit surface, of the processing medium into the space, that is to say into the vacuum chamber.

Within the space in which the flow spreads, it can have an effect by interacting with matter. In a technical application in vacuum processing systems, the effect represents a targeted influencing of a solid, that is to say its surface or the area close to the surface. The effect that can be achieved by the flow F decreases the further the emitted field moves away from the processing instrument. With technical Applications, the extent of the river F is limited, which of course is an arbitrary procedure. The containment means that only that is understood as a spatial extent of the flow F, in the opposite in each within this range site, the x by the coordinates, y and defined such that the intensity of the effect IWe _k ung at the respective location

is wherein IWe _k un _g represents the average effect of the flux F to a surface or near-surface region of a solid body, which is emitted from a surface of the working medium, and DI represents the maximum amount of the effect by which the average effect of small or larger may be. This area of the flow F is referred to as the usable flow F _h u ^ _G. In vacuum technology, the terms processing or process space are often used instead of the term usable flow.

The top and bottom of the matrix or grid-shaped construction materials span a surface and should also be viewed as a surface in this context. Due to the small area that is occupied by the surface area of the carrier elements in relation to the total area of the usable flow F _PI ^ _QG , which is emitted through an area of the processing medium, the probability is that the carrier elements of the individual layers of the matrix or Lattice-shaped construction material in the area in which the layers running against each other can move, cover or overlap one another, low or extremely low.

This also means that the more layers of a matrix or grid-like construction material lie on top of each other, the more the field of vision when viewing the top or bottom of the matrix or grid-like construction materials is filled with solid surface fractions of the carrier elements. The effect is also increased if the layers on top of one another move in opposite directions, which further reduces the likelihood of permanent overlapping. This effect also means that the number of layers lying on top of one another in the processing area could be further increased when using such a case.

In any case, however, the smaller the areal proportion of the carrier elements of the matrix or grid-like construction material is in relation to the area that can be seen from the top or bottom of the band-shaped structure, the more layers can be obtained when taking this fact into account to ensure that the machining process runs effectively and efficiently, one above the other.

On this basis, surface processing processes of the carrier elements can be implemented much more effectively, because the layer formation of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material in the usable flow <tWbar, i.e. in the spatial area in which the field or current generated by the processing instrument unfolds its usable effect , there is significantly more solid material than when transporting a single layer through this area.

According to the present invention, a device such as a vacuum processing system for processing flexible matrix or grid-shaped substrates is provided, the device having an unwinding module and a winding module for the flexible substrate, devices for processing and means for guiding the flexible substrate from the unwinding module to the winding module.

The flexible matrix or grid-shaped substrate to be processed has in particular a structure which results from a few linear and node-shaped carrier elements that run through it, and a remaining volume area that is located within the substrate and represents an empty space.

The vacuum processing system has a modular structure with a module between the unwinding and winding modules or several adjacent modules through which the flexible matrix or grid-shaped substrate, which is also referred to as winding material, is transported.

The residual gas pressure in a processing chamber or in a process room of the vacuum processing system should as a rule be below 10 ^"4 mbar, but must In any case, the process conditions are sufficient, so that it can also be smaller or larger than 10 ^"4 mbar. In machining processes, it can be significantly higher through the defined admission of a process gas.

Various types of vacuum processing units or process sources can be used as the processing medium, also referred to as processing or process sources, with which, on the one hand, surface processing steps such as pretreatment, cleaning, drying, surface activation and / or polymerisation of the substrate to be processed, and, on the other hand, coatings are carried out become. Typical process sources in surface treatment are, for example, electron sources, ion sources or special laser devices in all their diversity. Process sources are devices with which a physical or chemical coating is usually carried out. The physical coating is called physical vapor deposition (PVD) and the chemical coating is called chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Typical sources are, for example, sputter sources, in particular magnetron sputter sources, vapor deposition, plasma physical vapor deposition or chemical vapor deposition sources (PVD or CVD sources), of which there are a large number of different types of units and devices . These process sources can also be used, with restrictions, for pretreatment, cleaning, drying, surface activation and / or polymerisation of the construction material.

Another form of coating is thermal spraying under vacuum conditions, thermal vacuum spraying being understood to mean all technically possible variants of thermal spraying that can be used under vacuum conditions. The most common form is vacuum arc spraying.

One task in the vacuum processing of the matrix or grid-shaped construction materials already described is either to process the surfaces of the linear and node-shaped support elements, for example if the construction material is the starting material for further processing, or to coat them with one or more substances . Very often an enveloping coating of the linear and knot-shaped carrier elements with this substance or with these substances is provided, namely in the Shape that the matrix or grid shape of the coated construction material is retained, i.e. the free, interconnected partial volumes continue to exist in the carrier medium, but are reduced by the volume of the substance or substances enveloping the carrier elements. In order to be able to solve these tasks effectively, it is proposed in an inventive solution that the band-shaped construction material lie several times at a short distance from one another, for example in a meander shape, usable through the usable flow F or through the processing space or through the processing space in which the processing process with at least one Process source is effective to lead.

In the case of, for example, ion processing of the surface of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material, the effect of the energetic ions within the usable flow is almost the same, i.e. DI from equation (3) is a negligible quantity. For a coating process, the deposition rate, i.e. the amount of during the time interval in which a defined section / area of the material to be coated is located in the process space, for any section / area of a layer of the matrix or grid-like construction material is almost is the same size after the position has left the process space again. The fact that the winding material, i.e. the construction material, moves back and forth through the process space closely spaced from one another ensures that relatively uniform processing is achieved after the matrix or grid-shaped construction material has finally left the process space.

This processing method can be implemented by guiding the material to be wound, i.e. the construction material, over appropriate pulleys so that it crosses the process space several times and the distance between the opposing layers of the construction material is as small as technically possible.

The process space, in which, as already explained, a comparable intensity of action can be achieved, is often characterized in that its depth, which is to be understood as the length perpendicular to the belt plane or to the transport direction of the construction material, does not represent a great value, ie the exit expansion of the process space is relatively small. This fact is due to the mean free path of the particles causing the effect, i.e. the amount of a length that a particle (e.g. atom, molecule, ion or electron) travels on average in a given material before it collides with it in any form another particle comes. For this reason, it is often necessary to keep the distance between the individual layers of material to be wrapped in the construction material, the neighboring layers of which always move in opposite directions, as small as possible, i.e. as the technical and technological conditions allow. It is therefore intended to integrate a winding system into the vacuum coating system that enables the condition of the small distance between the individual layers of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material moving in opposite directions.

This winding system and the process space are designed in such a way that the respective matrix or grid-shaped construction material used can withstand the thermal stress caused by a machining process and is not deformed or even destroyed outside of the permitted limits.

It is therefore intended to use pulleys that invert the direction of movement of the transport of the construction material or reverse its direction.

Furthermore, it is provided that these deflection rollers are equipped or connected with a cooling device in order to ensure that at least part of the energy introduced by machining the linear and node-shaped carrier elements can be dissipated again. A further task in the vacuum processing of the matrix or grid-shaped construction materials already described is to fill the free spaces that are spanned by the linear and node-shaped carrier elements or by the linear and node-shaped carrier elements that have already been coated with a material, with a further material that is used for coating, to be filled in such a way that the free space area or the empty space of the band-shaped matrix or lattice-shaped construction material of this further material is filled up, whereby the filling procedure is to be understood in the sense of “bringing in” the material into the empty space of the matrix.

This should also be understood to mean that it is not absolutely necessary to fill this additional material to cover the entire volume, but, and this fact represents the rule, that the further separated material has been distributed within the entire free space area, but that this does not mean filling that covers the entire volume . In other words, the further material introduced into the free space areas can be characterized in that it embodies a porous, usually an open, porous structure. For this purpose, it is provided that the winding material, i.e. the construction material, is passed several times through the process space or through the usable flow Onutzbar within the process space, whose spreading field or the current that is emitted by the process source. The winding material is thereby kung direction at an acute angle to the basic WIR of the River _nu O tzbar pulled by its edit box. To increase the effectiveness of the machining process, the winding material is moved in a meandering manner through the processing field, so that both the winding material is moved in the direction of action of the flow into the acute angle and is pulled against it, with the winding material transport also running at the acute angle.

For a large part of the process sources, the effect, which is to be regarded as an interaction, is characterized by a preferred direction. This means that the flow basically spreads in a certain, predetermined direction. This direction is called the basic flow direction or primary direction. Although the main part of the interaction acts in the predetermined direction, effects also occur within an angular distribution, that is, the effect is distributed over different directions in space, so that one can speak of a scattering of the angular distribution of the effect. In the case of ion processing, for example, the interaction represents an interaction between the energetic ions and the surface of the medium to be processed, such as the construction material, with the ions moving into a preferred move in a specific, predetermined direction. For example, collisions with neutral particles or interactions with similarly charged particles create an angular distribution of the moving ions, which is noticeable during surface treatment.

An angular distribution of the effect can thus also be recorded in this case. In the case of a coating, the movement of the particles of the material to be deposited likewise runs in a preferred, predetermined direction, which represents the basic flow direction for the coating process. In the case of coating processes, this direction is determined by the thermal conditions. The flow On _usable and its preferred direction always spreads from the energetically highest state, i.e. from the emitting surface of the processing medium or the process source through which the material to be separated, for example the material to be vaporized or the vaporized particles, the one in the bear processing instrument is / are generated, i.e. from the area that has the highest temperature to the energetically lowest state, i.e. into the area in which the lowest temperatures are present.

It is therefore provided that the substrate to be coated, like the construction material, has the lowest energy state. Collisions with other neutral particles, for example with gas atoms, or, if present, with charged particles or with photons, create an angular distribution of the particles that are deposited on the surface of the substrate and thus in turn represent an angular distribution of the effect.

It is also provided that the existing free space area of the matrix or lattice-shaped construction material, which is used as winding material, which is spanned by the linear and node-shaped carrier elements or by linear and node-shaped carrier elements already enveloping with a material, with a material covering the entire area , but not to close in a volume-filling manner without requiring that the surface-covering material layer represents a completely closed covering layer, but rather can have a porosity, advantageously an open porosity for many applications.

For many applications, the porosity of the deposited layers even represents a very important requirement. It is therefore only important that the deposited Layer covers the free space area of the construction material, in the sense of a covering covering. It can therefore also be the case that the layer covering the free space area consists of several components which, in total, cause a complete covering of the free space area. This layer does not have to completely envelop the carrier elements or the carrier elements already coated in an enveloping manner, but can, for example, build up on a partial area of the carrier elements, for example the inner edge of the linear carrier elements.

For this process, it is provided that the construction material is guided once through the process space or through the processing field, which is generated by a process source. The construction material is drawn through the processing field at an acute or very acute angle to the determining flow direction, as a result of which the material used for coating is deposited in particular on areas of the linear support elements, but also on areas of the nodular ones. This coating process is carried out to the extent that the free space area of the construction material is completely covered by the material producing the layer, without a direct connection to an adjacent linear carrier element necessarily having to be carried out.

In this way, the matrix or grid-like construction material, which was characterized by large areas of free space, is converted into a film-like material. This resulting material can now be processed further using a conventional film processing technology from the prior art.

Such a covering of the free space areas of the matrix or lattice-shaped construction material usually serves the purpose of applying a layer consisting of on the top and / or bottom of the winding material in a further step, i.e. in a second and technologically different coating process from the first to be able to build up one or more materials using vacuum technology, i.e. by vacuum coating processes. The covering layer helps to create a comprehensive coating, comparable to the coating of a film. The second coating process also makes it possible also to fill the empty space of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material with the material or the materials deposited during this coating process.

With the help of these coating processes, a construction material or a film-like functional material is created that is surrounded by a compact, albeit usually porous, coating, which means that its external solid appearance is virtually indistinguishable or insignificant from a functional material in film form. For this reason, even if the designation does not reflect the correct facts, it is often referred to as a functional film, for example an electrode film for using the material as an electrode.

The previously explained features and advantages of this invention can be better understood and evaluated after carefully studying the following detailed description of the preferred, non-limiting example embodiments of the invention with the accompanying drawings, which show:

Fig. 1: a schematic representation of two different process sources according to the prior art, Fig. 2: an exemplary winding device according to the invention in a vacuum coating system for a matrix or grid-shaped construction material,

3: a further exemplary winding device according to the invention, FIG. 4a: a winding system for a matrix or grid-shaped construction material,

4b: a further exemplary winding device according to the invention in a vacuum processing system in an embodiment with two areas or chambers,

5a to 5f: a snapshot of the top view of a section of layers of the matrix or grid-like construction material moving over and against each other with an increasing number of layers,

6: a winding device embodied according to the invention in a process chamber, 7: a further exemplary winding device,

8a: a basic illustration of processing, in particular of a coating,

FIG. 8b: a basic illustration of a processing, in particular a coating, by means of a winding system according to FIG. 4b,

9 shows a basic illustration of a coating to explain a layer structure,

10a to c: exemplary vacuum processing systems with different process sources, FIGS. 11a to c: exemplary configurations of vacuum processing systems with different process sources in different modules, FIG. 12: a basic illustration of a layer structure on the linear support elements of the matrix or grid-like construction material 18 in two Variants and

13: a basic illustration of the filling of the free spaces of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of two different processing media 11 or process sources from the prior art, which should help to understand the terms processing instrument 11, field, current, flow, effect and intensity of action as well as the idioms of usable flow 13, the predetermined direction of action of the River, the principal direction in which the river spreads or the spread of the river to be defined in more detail. In FIG. 1, two different geometric shapes of the processing instruments 11 or process sources used in vacuum technology are shown schematically and in a generalized manner. One machining instrument 11, shown schematically and in a generalized manner, has a cylindrical design and the other has a cuboid design.

In principle, the processing instruments 11 can also have any other arbitrary shape. The form shown schematically and in a generalized manner in FIG. 1 reflects the most frequently used designs of such devices. However, it is also not infrequently the case that other shapes, for example composite shapes consisting of cuboid and cylindrical elements, are used. The processing instrument 11 represents the field relational It is an aggregate that emits electricity, ie it is the source by which the flow is generated.

In most cases, the flow 13, the field or current of which is generated in the processing instrument 11 or a process source 11, runs from a surface into the free space of the vacuum chamber. The spatial area in which the effect of the river 13 can be felt and can lead to a yield through interaction with the substrate to be coated is referred to as the usable expansion of the river. This area 12, from which the flow 13 spreads, is highlighted in FIG. 1 and is referred to as the effect-emitting area 12. Its existence is due to the fact that a process source 11 does not represent a point size, but always a body with a three-dimensional, finite geometric extension, so that the effect is always emitted from a flat structure, i.e. a surface.

The effect that is caused by the flow represents a physical and / or chemical interaction process that acts on a solid, which is known as a substrate for the special application in vacuum technology, or in its near-surface area, whereby an effect or a Reaction is evoked. The effect is always associated with an energetic influence on the substrate, i.e. energy is transferred. This part of the effect is therefore referred to as the energy input into the substrate.

As a result of the effect of the flow 13, completely different physical and / or chemical effects or reactions can be caused on the surface or in the area of the substrate close to the surface. At this point, only a few should be listed as representative of a large number of possible effects and reactions, in order to understand what is meant by effects and reactions.

An effect of a spreading river 13 can, for example, cause the cleaning of a substrate surface. Activation processes can be brought about by individual effects on the substrate surface or in the area of the substrate close to the surface. Furthermore, with the help of special effects, physical and / or chemical etching can also be carried out in this substrate area. be pulled. In addition, the properties of the river 13 can in turn produce specially designed effects, such as oxidation processes or other chemical reactions, in the surface region or on the surface of the substrate. In addition, the substrate surfaces can be coated with one or more materials. In this case, the evaporation material of the coating process represents the flow and the layer deposited on the solid fractions of the substrate represents the special effect. According to the present invention, the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 represents the flexible substrate 18.

A usable flow 13 is that spatial extent 13 of the flow in which its effect on influencing a substrate can develop, i.e. physical and / or chemical effects or reactions with the substrate, i.e. on its surface or near its surface Area. For technical applications such as those used in vacuum systems, the spatial extent of the usable flow 13 is usually limited in such a way that the intensity has almost the same amount or an amount of the same order of magnitude at every point in the room. This limitation can be specified with the help of equation (3) and is therefore an arbitrary definition which, however, is a sensible measure from a technical point of view. The length 15 of the extent of the delimited field of action, which is defined perpendicular to the flow exit surface 12, is referred to as the extent of the flow 15.

Very often there is a spatial area 14 of finite and thus limited extent between the flow exit surface 12, through which the field or the flow of the processing medium 11 is emitted, and the usable flow 13, which is characterized by the fact that the desired effect is already in Force could also be used, but fields or currents also act, the forces of which, when interacting with a substrate, cause a reaction on the process source 11 or could cause a damaging and irreversible influence on the substrate. For this reason, the substrate must not be in this area while the machining process is being carried out. This spatial expansion thus represents one Prohibited spatial area 14 for the substrate and is therefore referred to as a prohibited zone 14.

The flow 13 spreads in a preferred direction 16, which is determined by the process source 11 and by the flow exit area 12 and can be viewed as the primary direction 16 of the spread of the flow 13, ie the spread takes place in a fixed, predetermined direction that is determined by the Source and is predetermined by the flow exit area 12. Basically, the effect of the flow 13 occurs when interacting with the surface of the solid elements of a substrate or their near-surface areas from this preferred direction 16, i.e. the primary direction 16. Due to scattering processes, reflections and similar processes, the effect can experience an angular distribution 17, which the The intensity of the effect can indeed weaken, but it does not destroy it. Interactive processes are therefore carried out, the effects of which are subject to an angular distribution 17.

2 shows an exemplary winding device 1 according to the invention in a vacuum processing system for a matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18, which moves through a winding device 1, a so-called “roll-to-roll” system 1. The flexible matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is moved in the winding direction 19 over two roller groups 20 and 21 or roller groups 20 and 21, consisting of several larger rollers 23 or larger rollers 23 and several smaller rollers 24 or smaller rollers 24. This embodiment using larger rollers 23 and smaller rollers 24 is an example and can be adapted accordingly by a person skilled in the art; for reasons of space, for example, only smaller rollers 24 could be used.

In a free area 26 in an evacuable process chamber or an evacuable process area, in which no rollers or rollers have to be arranged, which is located between the first roller group 20 and the second roller group 21, the flexible matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 moves in a small distance 25 from one another, lying one above the other, in opposite directions to one another. The length amount 25 marked by two opposite arrows pointing in opposite directions indicates the distance 25 between the top and bottom layers of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 conveyed in opposite directions.

It is provided that at least one usable flow 13 of at least one processing instrument 11, which is arranged in one of the free areas 26, the first and the second layer of the flexible substrate 18, i.e. the flexible matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18, during their opposite parallel transport , at a small distance 25 from one another, penetrates through the free area 26 at the same time, the machining instrument 11 and the usable flow 13 not being shown in FIG. 2. In the event that more than two layers of the flexible substrate 18 are simultaneously transported parallel and closely spaced from one another through the free area 26, more than two layers are also penetrated by the usable flow 13 of the processing instrument 11, i.e. all layers of the flexible substrate 18.

It is also provided that such a small distance between two adjacent and oppositely transported layers of the matrix or grid-like construction material 18 is in a range between approximately 1 mm and 10 mm, in particular this distance is 2.5 mm.

The guidance of the flexible matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 over five smaller rolls 24 and three larger rolls 23 in the first roll group 20 and over four smaller rolls 24 and four larger rolls 23 in the second roll group 21 is shown in FIG. 2 by means of corresponding directional arrows shown on the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18. It can be seen that, for example, a first (upper) layer of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is transported from the roller 24a of the first roller group 20 to the roller 24b of the second roller group 21 in a first transport direction 64. In the second group of rollers 21, the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is deflected over a small roller 24b, a large roller 23a and a small roller 24c in such a way that the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is tight in a second layer of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 at a distance from the first layer of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 from the roller 24c of the second roller group 21 to the roller 24d of the first roller group 20 in a second transport direction 65. In the first group of rollers 20, the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is deflected over a small roller 24d and a large roller 23b in such a way that the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 in a third layer of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is closely spaced from the second Position of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is transported from the large roller 23b of the first roller group 20 to a small roller 24e of the second roller group 21 again in the first transport direction 64.

In the second group of rollers 21, the matrix or grid-like construction material 18 is deflected over a small roller 24e and a large roller 23c, so that the matrix or grid-like construction material 18 in a fourth layer of the matrix or grid-like construction material 18 is closely spaced from the third layer of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is transported again in the second transport direction 65 from the large roller 23c of the second roller group 21 to a small roller 24f of the first roller group 20. In the first group of rollers 20, the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is deflected over the small roller 24f, a large roller 23d and a small roller 24g in such a way that the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is in a fifth layer of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 closely spaced from the fourth layer of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 from the small roller 24g of the first roller group 20 to a large roller 23e of the second roller group 21 is transported again in the first transport direction 64.

In the second roller group 21, the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is deflected over the large roller 23e and a small roller 24h in such a way that the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 in a sixth layer of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is closely spaced from the fifth layer of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is transported again in the second transport direction 65 from the small roller 24h of the second roller group 21 to a small roller 24i of the first roller group 20. Subsequently, the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is transported directly or by means of further rollers, not shown, in the direction of a winding module 39, not shown, that the matrix or grid-shaped construction material onsmaterial 18 then takes up. In the example of FIG. 2, this takes place in such a way that the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is deflected over the small roller 24i and a large roller 23f and is transported to a further large roller 23g without passing through the free area 26. The unwinding module 38, not shown in FIG. 2, is arranged, for example, in such a way that the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is fed to the first small roll 24a directly or by means of further rolls, not shown.

This process of deflecting the matrix or grid-like construction material 18 and transporting it between the first roller group 20 and the second roller group 21 or vice versa is carried out six times in FIG. 2, so that the matrix or grid-like construction material 18 is closely spaced - that is moved in six layers relative to one another through the free area 26 in a process chamber or a process area. From the point of view of a processing instrument 11 (not shown in FIG. 2) or a process source 11 in the direction of the six-layer guidance of the matrix-shaped or lattice-shaped construction material 18, an image results as it corresponds to the illustration in FIG. 5f. Compared to a single-layer coating, in which the process source “sees” the matrix or grid-like construction material 18 as shown in FIG. 5a, there is a significant reduction in the free spaces of the matrix or grid-like construction material 18 from the “point of view” of the process source 11. It should be noted that the representations in FIG. 5 each correspond to a snapshot and therefore cannot fully illustrate the dynamics of the process actually taking place. Thus, more material to be coated or material that is used for surface processing of the solids of the matrix or grid-like construction material 18 meets the six-layer matrix or grid-like construction material 18 and the processing or coating is much more effective than with just one Position of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 would be possible.

A restriction to this number of six layers is not intended. A corresponding adaptation of the number of layers and the first group of rollers 20 and the second group of roles 21 can be made by a person skilled in the art.

Likewise, the winding device 1 does not necessarily have to be arranged horizontally, but it can also be arranged vertically or at an angle. If necessary, one should then no longer speak of layers of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 lying one above the other, but rather of layers lying next to one another.

It is intended, but not shown here, to arrange corresponding processing instruments 11 or process sources 11 in the free area 26 of the process chamber, by means of which, for example, material suitable for coating can be applied to the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18. Such processing instruments 11 can be used in the free area 26 both on a first side of the closely spaced, preferably parallel and opposing, layers of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18, for example above, and on a second side, such as below, for example matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 are arranged. The number of processing instruments 11 to be arranged in the free area 26 can also vary.

The winding system 1 according to the invention is for surface processing processes, such as ion processing with energetic ions or for coating processes that cause an enveloping coating of the linear and node-shaped support elements of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18, as well as possibly with restrictions for coating processes that are used to fill the free spaces of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 are suitable.

In FIG. 3, a further exemplary “roll-to-roll” system 2 is shown schematically, which satisfies the inventive subject matter. This winding device 2 consists of three roller groups 20, 21 and 22. The winding system 2 includes two free areas in a process chamber, namely first free area 27 and second free area 28, through which the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is transported back and forth several times. The shielding plate 29, shown here by way of example only at one point, serves to prevent possible occurrences of an impact Effect of a flow F, which is shielded by the field or by the current that is generated in a machining instrument 11, in order to prevent rollers or rollers arranged behind the matrix or lattice-shaped construction material 18, which would be exposed to a direct effect, from this effect to protect.

The matrix or grid-like construction material 18 is guided back and forth several times both in the free areas 26 of FIG. 2 and in the first free area 27 and in the second free area 28 of FIG. 3. The matrix-like or grid-like construction material 18 moves in opposite directions at a small distance 25 from one another, arranged one above the other. The matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is thus guided in FIG. 3 through the first free area 27 in a first direction, such as a first transport direction 64 ', and in a second transport direction 65', which is opposite to the first transport direction 64 ' . In addition, the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 in FIG. 3 is guided through the second free area 28 in a third direction, such as a third transport direction 66, and is brought in a fourth transport direction 67, which is opposite to the third transport direction 66. This process can, as is shown by way of example in FIG. 3, be continued with further layers of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18. An angle is provided between the first and third transport directions (64 ', 66) and the second and fourth transport directions (65', 67) which can be in a range between greater than 0 degrees and less than 180 degrees. The angle is in particular in a range between 30 degrees and 150 degrees. In the example of FIG. 3, an angle of approximately 60 degrees is selected. (In the example of FIG. 3, the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is first moved from the large roller 23a of the first roller group 20 through the first free area 27 to a large roller 23b of the third roller group 22 in a first transport direction ^{64 '.} The matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is then deflected over the large roller 23b and transported from the third roller group 22 a first time through the free area 28 to a further large roller 23c of the second roller group 21 in a third transport direction 66. The flexible matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is deflected over the large roller 23c and a small roller 24a and from the small roller 24a of the second roller group 21 a second time through the second free area 28 via the small roller 24b to a large roller 23d in the third roller group 22 transported in a fourth transport direction 67.

In the third roller group 22, the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is deflected over the large roller 23d and the small roller 24c and from the third roller group 22 to a small roller 24d in the first roller group 20 a second time through the free area 27 in one second transport direction 65 'trans ported.

In the first roller group 21, the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is then deflected over the small roller 24d, a large roller 23e and the small roller 24e and from the first roller group 20 to a small roller 24f in the third roller group 22 a third Once transported through the free area 27 again in the first transport direction 64 '.

In the third roller group 22, the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is subsequently deflected over the small roller 24f, a large roller 23f and another large roller 23g and a small roller 24g and from the third roller group 22 to a small roller 24h in the second Roller group 21 transported a third time through the free area 28 again in the third transport direction 66 benefits.

In the second roller group 21, the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is subsequently deflected over the small roller 24h, a large roller 23h and a small roller 24i and from the second roller group 21 to a small roller 24k in the third roller group 22 a fourth time the free area 28 is transported again in the fourth transport direction 67.

In the third roller group 22, the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is subsequently deflected over the small roller 24k, a large roller 23i and a large roller 23k and a small roller 24I and from the third roller group 22 to a small roller 24m in the first roller group 20 transported a fourth time through the free area 27 again in the second transport direction 65 '. After reaching the small roll 24 m, the intended processing processes, such as coating processes, for example, are completed and the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is transported to a winding module 39. In the example in FIG. 3, this transport takes place via the large rollers 23I, 23m, 23n and 23o.

A restriction to this number of four layers is not intended. A person skilled in the art can adjust the number of layers accordingly.

The unwinding module 38, also not shown in FIG. 3, is arranged, for example, in such a way that the matrix or grid-like construction material 18 is fed to the first large roll 23a directly or by means of further rolls not shown.

The winding system 2 is also suitable for surface processing processes, such as ion processing with energetic ions, but especially for coating processes that serve to fill the free spaces of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18. If necessary, it can be used for coating processes to produce an enveloping coating of the linear and node-shaped carrier elements of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18. In FIG. 4, two further winding systems, namely “roll-to-roll” system 3 in FIG. 4a and “roll-to-roll” system 4 in FIG. 4b, are shown schematically. In Fig. 4a a winding system 3 is shown, with which the flexible matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is moved in one layer through the roller system. The rollers 23 are arranged in such a way that the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 8 is guided at an acute angle between three rollers in each case. In each case three rollers 23, two adjacent upper rollers and the lower one located between them, or two neighboring lower rollers and the upper one located between them, are correspondingly arranged. In many applications the angle is <

10 °. A “roll-to-roll” system 4, which consists of two groups of rolls 20, 21, is shown schematically in FIG. 4b. In principle, the winding system 4 enables four free areas, twice each free area 27 and twice free area 28, through which the flexible substrate 18 or the matrix or grid-like construction material 18 is conveyed back and forth once. The matrix or grid-like construction material 18 thus moves in two layers in opposite directions through the free areas 27 and 28. The angle that is spanned between the layers of the matrix or grid-like construction material 18 is again extremely acute. In many applications this angle is ^ 10 °.

The winding systems 3 and 4 in FIGS. 4a and 4b are suitable for surface processing processes, such as ion processing with energetic ions, but especially for coating processes that cover the free spaces of the matrix or grid-like construction material18. The extremely acute angle, which is spanned between three rollers 23 in FIG. 4a or between the layers in FIG. 4b, causes a relatively thin layer to form on sections, for example on an edge, of the linear and knot-shaped sections during a coating process Carrier elements of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 builds up when the primary direction 16 of the particles of the coating material emitted by a machining instrument 11 represents one leg of the acute angle and the moving matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 represents the other leg. If there is a processing instrument 11 above the top layer or below the bottom layer of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18, which sends its spreading field or its current as a flow F at a predetermined angle in the direction of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18, there is an interaction with the surfaces or the near-surface area of the solid elements of the matrix or grid-like construction material 18. Due to the small area proportion of a layer of the matrix or grid-like construction material 18, the proportion of the solid elements in the total area occupied by the layer is small. Because several layers of the matrix or lattice-shaped construction material 18 move at a small distance from one another, the solids content of the wound material, which is _{exposed to the effect of the flow d b} ar, increases significantly. In FIG. 5, the increase in the proportion of solids due to the covering of the individual layers of the matrix-like or lattice-like construction material 18 is shown schematically. In Fig. 5a the detail of a layer of a fabric, which in the figure illustrates a large-meshed plain weave and corresponds to the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18, is shown schematically. 5b illustrates the snapshot when two such layers, FIG. 5c when three layers, FIG. 5d when four layers, FIG. 5e when five layers and FIG. 5f when six layers are arranged one above the other. It can be clearly seen that the more layers are on top of each other, the more the field of vision is filled with solid surface fractions of the carrier elements when viewing the top or bottom of the matrix or grid-like construction material. On this basis, the surface treatment processes carried out on the solid components of the winding material can, because of the layering of the matrix or grid structure material 18 in the spatial domain of the unfolded by the machining tool 11 useable flow Usable _b ar in which can achieve the desired effect, there is significantly more solid material than when a single layer of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is transported through this area.

In Fig. 6 is by means of the arrangement 5, the core of which is the winding system 1 from FIG. 2, the influencing of a matrix or grid-shaped construction material as 18, which moves through the winding system 1, shown schematically and generalized nert. In most cases, the influencing of the processing of the solid components, i.e. their surfaces or their near-surface areas, is to be equated with. The triggers for influencing the matrix or lattice-shaped construction material 18 are two processing instruments 11 in FIG. 6, which serve as a source for the expansion of the flow 30 into an open area 26 which is located between the roller system 20 and 21. The respective spreading field or the respective current that is emitted by the respective machining instrument 11, i.e. the flow F, hits the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18. It acts on its surface or the near-surface area of its solid components. One of the two processing instruments 11 is above the top layer of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 in the free area 26 and the second is below half of the lowermost layer of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is arranged. The expansion of the flow 30 runs from the flow exit surface 12 of the machining instrument 11 in the direction of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18. The forbidden zone 14 and the area of the usable flow 13 are penetrated by the flow 30. Since the extent of the area traversed by the flow 30 is characterized by its primary direction 16 (see FIG. 1), the effect on those solid components of the layers of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 that can be freely hit by the flow occurs. Furthermore, there is a high probability that the effect will be angularly distributed in the

Proximity of the surface of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18. This increases the effect by which the surface or near-surface area is influenced.

The use of two processing instruments 11, which are shown schematically and abstractly in the representation in FIG. 1, is intended to reflect the technically and practically real possibility, that is, the real possibility that the influencing of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is, for example, in the form of processing can be realized from two principally qualitatively different directions, namely both above and below the layered conveyed matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18. With top and bottom it is meant that in principle there are two opposite sides in which the matrix-like or grid-like construction material 18 expands flat. In the two spaces or open areas 26, which extend in the opposite direction of the pact of layers that is formed by the meandering movement of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18, the processing instruments 11, which are used as the source of the flow producing an effect, can be used. be arranged. On both sides, that is to say from the top as well as from the bottom, different angles can be set for the primary direction 16 of the propagation of the flow causing an effect, see FIG. 1. The flow also impacts the solids content of the layers that are between the top and bottom layers. The design form of the processing instruments 11 used, from which primary direction 16 and at what angle the processing instruments 11 their fields or Sending streams and how large their number is depends on quite a few different conditions and parameters. These include, among other things, structural conditions, requirements of the specially feeding machining process, the machining intensity, the prevention of mutual influencing of neighboring machining media and a few other conditions and parameters.

The arrangement 5, which is shown in Fig. 6, can be used for surface treatment processes, such as cleaning, etching, chemical reaction processes, for example oxidation, nitriding or polymerization, of the matrix or lattice-shaped construction material 18, which represents the winding material.

If an enveloping coating of the solid components of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18, i.e. the linear and node-shaped carrier elements, is to be carried out with a material to be coated, it is advisable to also use the arrangement 5 with the winding system 1 shown in FIG.

Such processing media 11 or processing instruments 11 are devices for cathode sputtering, such as planar magnetrons, tubular magnetrons or sputter ion sources, or thermal evaporation units, such as resistance evaporators, electron beam evaporators, arc evaporators or an arc evaporation device, laser evaporator and a few more. In order to ensure an enveloping coating of the linear and knot-shaped carrier elements, an appropriate working pressure must be selected, which is generally in the range between 1 · 10 ³ mbar and 5 · 10 ² mbar.

It should be noted that there are processing instruments 11 which can only transmit their field or their current from below to above. Others, in turn, offer the technical possibility of being able to send the field in all spatial directions. These device-specific conditions must be taken into account when arranging the units.

The core element of the arrangement 6, which is shown in FIG. 7, is again the winding device 1 from FIG. 2. With the aid of FIG. te the influencing of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 are pointed out.

On the one hand, it should be shown schematically and abstractly that the influencing of the matrix-shaped or lattice-shaped construction material 18 can be carried out at very special, fixed angles 31, for example the angle a. When defining the angle a, i.e. the angle 31 that is formed between the preferred direction 16 of the flow, i.e. the primary direction 16, and the amount of the movement direction 32 of the stack of layers of the matrix or lattice-shaped construction material 18, it is essential to ensure that the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 moves within the range of the usable flow 13. Care must therefore be taken very conscientiously that the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 does not come into contact with the area of the forbidden zone 14.

On the other hand, it should be shown schematically and abstractly that in a wide variety of applications the case or the technical requirement can arise that the effect, the causal source of which is the processing instrument 11, is influenced by a second effect, which is therefore to be referred to as a secondary effect can be and is to be understood as an influencing effect. A second processing instrument 33, which is to be referred to as an effect influencing instrument 33, is used as the causal source for the secondary effect. This source emits a second field or a second current, the flow 34 of which, that is to say a second flow 34, also produces an effect. As a rule, this second flow 34 also emerges from a flow exit area of the effect influencing instrument 33. The peculiarity of this emitted special flow 34 is that it interacts with the flow 13, the causal source of which is the processing instrument 11 and is emitted through its flow exit surface 12, on the surface or in the near-surface area of the solid components of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18, however, neither brings about the effect nor the reaction that is to be achieved as an influence, i.e. as a processing. That is, the secondary effect does not make any direct or direct contribution to influencing the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18. The secondary effect calls on the basis of the interaction with the flow, which the machining instrument 11 emits, only influences this effect, the effect of the effect on the surface or in the near-surface area of the solid components of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18. The interaction can lead to the intensity of the effect increasing, remaining the same or decreasing. It is dependent on the parameters of the effect influencing instrument 33 and the associated flow 34. However, the interaction between the two flows 13 and 34 always leads to the surface or the near-surface area of the solid components of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 influencing effect experiences a further additional orientation. In general, a new angular distribution arises from the preferred direction 16 with its angular distribution 17 as a function of the second flow 34 with its angular distribution 36.

In the extreme case, the secondary direction 35 can dominate or even completely cover the primary direction 16 in the new angular distribution. In this way, the effect can be brought into the interior of the stack of layers, so to speak, into the free areas of the layers of the matrix or lattice-shaped construction material 18 moving in a meandering manner against one another, and the solid components in the layers can be influenced, whereby a correspondingly effective Processing of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is achieved.

If the flow is a particle flow and the effect is a layer structure, then a coating process results. The coating components, ie the particles that are to be deposited, even if they can penetrate into the free spaces of the meandering layers of the wound material, can only be deposited at the points where this is also possible. The deposition or binding of the separated particles can only take place on solid components. In the special case, these are the line-shaped or node-shaped carrier elements of the matrix-shaped or grid-shaped construction material 18, which can also already be coated in an enveloping manner. This means that only this proportion of the particles produced for the coating contributes to the coating effect. All other particles are virtually lost. For this reason, a relatively acute angle a between the layer movement and the primary direction of the propagation of the Lowing flow 13 proposed in order to provide as much area as possible from the linear elements for deposition. Furthermore, the superimposition of the individual layers creates a quasi-wall of solid components on the one hand, which extremely restricts the penetration of the coating particles through the entire meandering mutually moving layers and, on the other hand, enormously reduces the amount lost for the coating process. This makes it possible to ensure that a significantly large proportion of the deposited particles are deposited in the free spaces of the matrix-like or lattice-like construction material 18.

In Fig. 7, the processing instruments 11 are arranged above the meandering ge against each other moving layers of the matrix or grid-shaped Konstruktionsma material 18. However, they could just as well be arranged below.

If, in particular, the linear carrier elements with or without an enveloping coating, but also the remaining carrier elements with or without an enveloping coating, are to be coated with one or more materials, namely in such a way that the free space areas of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 are covered, without having to strive for a volume-covering filling with the substances used for coating, then arrangements 7, as shown in Fig. 8, namely in Fig. 8a arrangements 7a and in Fig. 8b arrangements 7b schematically and abstractly, can be used . It is important to note that these figures are illustrations, that is, they are simply used to illustrate the coating principle. Which and how many coating units, how and in which arrangement are deployed and used, ultimately depends on the respective conditions. Such conditions are, for example, the size of the space available for the installation of the units, the prevention of mutual interference, the material properties of the matrix or grid-like construction material 18 to be coated and others.

The carrier elements or the enveloping coated carrier elements, in particular the linear carrier elements, are coated with the principles sketched in FIG. 8. If the coating process is carried out sufficiently intensively, a thin layer is formed, which extends to the next Support element can range, wherein a contact or connection with the support element does not necessarily have to develop. However, this expansion of the layer produces a surface-covering effect, that is, the free spaces that span between the carrier elements or enveloping coated carrier elements are covered by this layer without creating a volume-filling situation. However, a covering veil is formed. In this case, the constellation can certainly arise that several covering layers are formed which in their entirety cover the free space and thus cause the free space area to be completely covered.

Such a method is always used when a layer structure is to take place above and / or below the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18. This can then be realized afterwards using a conventional coating process.

In Fig. 9 an arrangement 8 is shown schematically and abstractly, which reflects the method of the layer structure of a matrix or grid-shaped construction material as 18 in the form of an illustration. The arrangement 8 is divided into two parts. The first sub-assembly 37a is used, as the assembly 7a in Fig. 8 demonstrates, the closure of the free spaces of the matrix or lattice-shaped construction material 18, which is used as a flexible substrate 18, with the material to be coated in the form of a coating. The second sub-arrangement 37b corresponds to a conventional coating structure with processing instruments 11 in order to be able to coat the upper and / or lower side with one or more substances in a vacuum on the basis of the technology of conventional film processing.

In FIG. 10, the arrangement 1, which is shown schematically in FIG. 2, is integrated in a simple embodiment of a “roll-to-roll” vacuum processing system 9. The vacuum processing system 9 has a modular structure and consists of an unwinding module 38, a processing module 40 and a winding module 39. Each module has a pump nozzle 41, which enables pumping via a respective pumping system 42, which can consist of various combinations of the components valves, high vacuum and backing pumps , which enables individual chambers or modules. The neighboring modules are each connected via a common opening, which must be sealed to the outside, i.e. to the atmospheric pressure range. As a result, there are no locks integrated between the individual modules, so that the chamber system can also be evacuated with the aid of just one pump system, consisting of a vacuum pump pipe feed, valve, backing pump and high vacuum pump.

In FIG. 10a, four machining instruments 11 are built into the machining module 40 of the vacuum machining system 9 by way of example. In the case of FIG. 10a, these aggregates are ion sources 11 which emit linearly accelerated energetic ions for processing the surfaces of the solid components of the meandering matrix or grid-like construction material 18.

In FIGS. 10b and 10c, two processing instruments 11 are used in the processing modules 40 of the vacuum processing system 9 by way of example. In this case, these aggregates are cathode sputtering devices 11, that is, in Fig. 10b each is a planar magnetron 11 and in Fig. 10c each is a tubular magnetron 11, with the aid of which above and below the meandering matrix or lattice-shaped construction material 18 a coating process is carried out. This arrangement is used to achieve an enveloping coating of the linear and node-shaped carrier elements of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18. Further necessary conditions for this process which effects an enveloping coating, such as the parameters of the working pressure, must be set and adapted to the process requirements.

In all three modules, that is to say in the unwinding module 38, in the processing module 40 and in the winding module 39, virtually comparable pressure conditions prevail, although each chamber can be pumped out separately. The pressure range is determined by the requirements that the processing instruments 11 require. FIG. 10 is intended to reflect the variability of the processing options which are possible with the aid of the winding devices according to the invention, here as a representative the arrangement 1 from FIG. 2, for matrix or grid-shaped construction materials 18.

In FIG. 11, various system configurations 10a, 10b and 10c, which without exception represent “roll-to-roll” vacuum processing systems, are presented, in which the principle of effective processing of matrix or grid-shaped construction materials 18 is presented. All systems have an unwinding module 38 and a winding module 39. All modules can be evacuated separately, since each module has a pump nozzle 41 to which a pumping system 42 adapted to the specific function is connected.

In FIG. 11a, a “roll-to-roll” vacuum processing system 10a for the internal filling of the free spaces of a matrix or grid-like construction material 18 with a coating material is shown schematically and in abstract form.

The first processing step takes place in module 43 stat. This step embodies ion processing. By using ion sources 11, the surface of the solid components of the matrix or grid-like construction material 18 is processed with energetic ions. An activation process can take place at the same time. In order to be able to transfer the ion sources 11 to their working regime, a working pressure in the range between 1 · 10 ⁰⁴ mbar and 8 · 10 ⁰⁴ mbar must be able to be set in this module. As a rule, however, only one pressure value is required in the ^{unwinding module 38 which is in the range of 10 01} mbar or even higher, ie the pressure difference between the unwinding module 38 and module 43 is extremely large. For this reason, it is advisable to install a lock chamber 51, which can be pumped out separately, between the two modules. The lock chamber 51 contains roller locks and produces an extremely high level of tightness. As a result, even with large pressure differences, it is possible to largely prevent a disruptive gas exchange from developing from the unwinding module 38 to the module 43.

The winding device for the transport of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 in the module 43 corresponds to the winding device 1, which is shown cally in FIG. With the aid of this device, the construction material 18 in the form of a matrix or lattice can be moved in a meandering manner past the four ion sources 11 used by way of example, that is, two above and two below the stack of layers.

In order to avoid gas exchange between module 44 and module 43 as far as possible, a lock chamber 52, this time, for example, a slit lock, has again been installed between these two chambers. The difference in the working pressure ranges between the two modules is less than that between module 43 and unwind module 38. For this reason, the use of a ner gap lock 52, as shown in Fig. 11a between the modules 43 and 44 is Darge, sufficient for many applications. A winding device 1, which is shown schematically in FIG. 2, is also installed in module 44. With the help of four tubular magnetrons 11, with two magnetrons 11 above and two magnetrons 11 below the stack of layers in which the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is guided in a meandering manner, an enveloping coating of the linear and node-shaped carrier elements of the matrix - Or grid-shaped construction material 18 is generated. Since the magnetrons can work in the range from 1-10 ⁰³ mbar to approximately 5 _* 10 ⁰¹ mbar, it should be understood why the pressure difference between module 44 and module 43 is lower than between the unwinding module 38 and module 43.

Vacuum arc spray devices 11 are installed in module 45 as processing instruments 11. With the help of these units, the free spaces that are spanned by the line and node-shaped support elements of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 that have been coated in the module 44 to be enveloping, are filled with a material. For this purpose, the matrix or grid-like construction material 18 is trans ported over the winding device 2 from FIG. In this winding device 2, which consists of three groups of rollers 20, 21 and 22, two layer packages are formed, in which the matrix or grid-like construction material 18 moves in a meandering manner on the processing media. A vacuum arc spray device 11 is arranged on each side of the layer, with the aid of which the coating process for filling the free spaces is to take place. With the aid of a second processing medium 33, which in the present application represents a gas nozzle 33, in addition to the primary direction, i.e. the preferred direction of the particle flow generated by the vacuum arc spraying devices 11, a further preferred direction for a portion of the generated particle flow is generated, which is referred to as the secondary direction . Due to further interaction processes occurring in the vicinity of the surface of the matrix or lattice-shaped construction material 18, the generated particles also experience angular distributions. On the basis of these interaction processes occurring during the coating process, the free spaces are filled with the coating material which is sprayed by the vacuum arc spraying devices 11. The working pressure for vacuum arc spraying is between 10 ⁺⁰² mbar and 10 ⁺⁰³ mbar, i.e. the difference between the working pressure in module 44 and module 45, in which the coating units are operated, is also extremely large. For this reason, a roller lock through which the winding material is transported is installed between module 44 and module 45. In many applications, a lock chamber 51 with roller locks is even required, which must then be installed between these two modules.

Since, as a rule, there are no special requirements for the winding module 39, its pressure range can be adapted to that in the module 45.

For this reason, the installation of a slit lock 58 between these two modules is completely sufficient.

A “roll-to-roll” vacuum processing system 10 for coating the top and bottom of a matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is shown schematically in FIG. 11b. In module 46, with the aid of the winding device 7a, as shown schematically in FIG Covering the free space areas of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is achieved without having to achieve a volume-covering filling with the substances used for coating. If the coating process is carried out sufficiently intensively, a layer is formed, the extent of which can extend to the next carrier element. This expansion of the layer represents a surface-covering object. This means that the free spaces that span between the carrier elements or the enveloping coated carrier elements are covered by this building-up layer. Since this coating process often requires a large amount of coating material, it makes sense to carry out this process to arrange several modules of the module 46 type one behind the other before, for example, module 47 is integrated.

In order to produce a covering covering for the matrix or grid-like construction material 18, tubular magnetrons 11 used, which the material to be deposited in each case at the acute angle that of the moving matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 through three pulleys, for example by the left upper pulley 53, the lower left pulley 54 and the upper right adjacent pulley 55 is strained, deposited into it or released or sputtered off. In Fig. 11b five tubular magnetrons are shown schematically by way of example. The magnetrons are arranged in such a way that the movement of the particles of the material to be sputtered is preferably almost in the plane that is spanned by the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18. As a result of the acute angle, which is preferably <10 °, it is achieved that in particular the linear support elements are coated, namely in the form that a layer extends in the direction from which the particles come from the machining instrument 11, i.e. from the Tubular magnetron, impinge, builds on the solid elements. Depending on the size of the working pressure, this correspondingly thinly grown layer, the possible thickness of which is, as it were, predetermined by the width of the carrier elements, can also have a relatively strongly pronounced porous structure. If the coating process is carried out sufficiently intensively, the layer that forms gradually begins to close the free space that is spanned by the linear carrier elements. The working pressure in this module is, for example, in the range from 1 * 10 ⁰³ mbar to approximately 5 · 10 ⁰¹ mbar.

In module 47, the free spaces that span between the carrier elements are coated with the same or with a further material. This material is evaporated with the aid of an electron beam evaporation device 11, as a result of which the evaporation particles of the material that are produced penetrate into the matrix or grid-like construction material 18 coated with a thin layer or even coat it to a small extent. In any case, the probability that the steam flow 59 can completely penetrate the meandering moving matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is extremely low, not to say it is close to zero.

The winding device 1 from FIG. 2 is again used as the transport system for the winding material, which executes a meandering movement of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 in opposite directions, so that it is possible with the electron beam evaporation device 11 to clear the free spaces of the matrix or To fill lattice-shaped construction material 18. The electron beam evaporation device 11 is arranged only below the stack of layers because the electron beam is shot into a crucible in which the coating material is located and the coating material is evaporated out of the crucible. The crucible thus represents the actual source. All additional units, for example hollow cathodes, with whose plasma the vaporization cloud is activated, are not shown.

The working pressure range in which the electron beam evaporation device 11 operates is between 10 ⁰⁵ mbar and 10 ⁰¹ mbar. Depending on the specific pressure range, it is advisable to use a lock chamber 51, as shown schematically in FIG. 10b, or other connecting devices, such as roller locks or slit locks.

A coating process is carried out in module 48 which is equivalent to conventional film coating. Each side of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is coated on a large coating roller 56. In the case of FIG. 10b, the material to be deposited is evaporated with electron beam evaporation devices 11, as a result of which a layer consisting of the evaporated material is built up on both sides of the matrix or lattice-shaped construction material 18. The working pressure range in module 48 is again between 10 ⁰⁵ mbar and 10 ⁰¹ mbar, but generally corresponds to that which prevails in module 47 when the same material is evaporated. For this reason, it is not necessary to install a connecting device that performs a lock function between module 47 and module 48. At best, a slit sluice could possibly be necessary.

If the pressure value in the winding module 39 has a high value compared to module 48, it is advisable, as shown in FIG. 10b, to install a lock chamber 51 in order to obtain a clean separation between module 48 and winding module 39. If the pressure value in the winding module 39 corresponds approximately to that of the module 48, then other connecting devices, such as, for example, gap locks, are sufficient.

In order to be able to close the free spaces quickly with a material to be coated, and then to be able to coat the entire surface with another material To be able to undertake, the “roll-to-roll” vacuum processing system 10, which is shown schematically in FIG. 11c, can be used.

With the aid of vacuum arc devices, the free spaces of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 are closed on the basis of thermal spraying methods. This process requires a correspondingly large amount of material to be deposited. The vacuum

Arc thermal spray technology enables deposition rates that meet this requirement. However, the layer that is created by this coating process is rather roughly structured compared to other vacuum coating processes, whereby the dimensions of the structural elements that are formed during the coating process can be up to 10 μm. The advantage of this coating technology, however, is that the free spaces can be closed comparatively quickly.

For the vacuum arc spraying process, the matrix or grid-like construction material 18 is guided in module 49 over a winding device 4, as it is used in FIG. 4b. The working pressure for the vacuum-arc spraying is between 10 ⁺⁰² mbar and 10 ⁺⁰³ mbar and is thus compared with other vacuum deposition process, a very high range. Since the working pressure mbar and in the module 50 is generally in the range between 10 ⁰⁵ 10 ⁰¹ mbar, for this reason it is advisable to install a lock chamber 52 as a roller lock between module 49 and module 50, which can be pumped out separately. If a correspondingly large gas throughput becomes necessary in both chambers, it nevertheless proves to be necessary in most applications to install a lock chamber as a slit lock, as shown in FIG. 11c.

When installing a roller lock as a lock chamber 52, various coating methods can then be used in module 50, which are also used for film coating. By way of example in FIG. 11 c, both sides of the matrix or grid-like construction material 18 are coated with the aid of tubular magnetrons 11. In FIG. 12, a basic illustration of a layer structure on the linear support elements of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 is shown in two variants.

In FIG. 12, in the left-hand area, the matrix or lattice-shaped construction material 18 is shown alone, which in the example consists of so-called weft threads 60 and warp threads 61, from which a fabric, which represents a form of the construction material, is made up.

The middle part of FIG. 12 shows an action taking place from one side of the matrix or lattice-shaped construction material 18 by a machining instrument 11 (not shown). The primary direction 16 of the machining instrument 11 is shown. The middle part of FIG a growing out of the layers in a sequence from top to bottom.

As can be seen, the material to be coated begins to build up or attach to the linear carrier elements, which here correspond to a weft thread 60, of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18. If the coating time is sufficiently long, the entire three-dimensional free space that is spanned by the linear and node-shaped carrier elements is covered or covered over, but the free volumes are not filled.

The layer 62 begins to grow initially on a linear carrier element. This growth of the layer 62 is continued, for example, until the three-dimensional free spaces (for example meshes in the case of woven fabrics) are increasingly covered. In the lower part of the middle illustration, the growth has progressed in such a way that the layer 62 extends over the next linear carrier element of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 without having to have contact with this further carrier element. In the meantime, a separate layer 62 has formed on this further carrier element. As can be seen in the lower part of the central illustration in FIG. there is an overlap 63 of the layers 62 and thus an overlap of the free spaces of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18. In the right part of FIG - working instruments 11 shown. A preferred direction 16 of the two processing instruments 11 is shown, for example from above and from below the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18. The structure of the layer 62 forming on the linear support elements is again shown in its course from top to bottom. In this case, two layers 62 are formed on each linear carrier element, which here in turn corresponds to a weft thread 60. After the growth of the layers 62 has progressed accordingly, an overlap 63 also occurs in this second variant.

Such a layer structure with a cover 63 can be achieved, for example, with the arrangements according to FIGS. 2, 3 and 8. A matrix-like or lattice-like construction material 18 covered in this way can subsequently be further processed or coated in a manner comparable to a film by means of methods known from the prior art.

FIG. 13 shows a basic illustration of the filling of the free spaces of the matrix or lattice-shaped construction material 18, which in the example consists of so-called weft threads 60 and warp threads 61. The free spaces are thus the areas between the weft threads 60 and the warp threads 61.

Such a filling of free spaces of the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18 can be achieved, for example, with the arrangements according to FIG.

Here, as shown in FIG. 7, two processing instruments 11 are used. Here, a first processing instrument 11 is responsible for the actual effect, that is to say the material deposition. The second processing instrument 11, which bears the reference number 33 in FIG. 7, is intended to produce a second effect or a secondary effect through its secondary flow 34 oriented in a secondary direction 35, which increases the usable flow 13, i.e. the Particles emitted by the processing instrument 11 influence their deposition on the matrix or grid-shaped construction material 18. This influencing has the effect that the emitted particles of the machining instrument 11 can successively fill the free space that the line-shaped and node-shaped carrier elements of the matrix or lattice-shaped construction material 18 used as an example in FIG. 13 span, in which the separating particles are located Attach at different angles to the already attached particles or layers. In this case, the free spaces can only be partially filled, as is shown in FIG. 13 by the remaining free spaces in the middle of the meshes of the matrix or lattice-shaped construction material 18.

List of reference signs

1 winding device; "Roll-to-roll" system;

2 further "roll-to-roll" system; Winding device; Winding system

3 further "roll-to-roll" system; Winding device; Winding system

4 further "roll-to-roll" system; Winding device; Winding system

5 arrangement

6 arrangement

7 winding device; arrangement

8 arrangement

9 “Roll-to-Roll” vacuum processing system

10 system configuration; "Roll-to-roll" vacuum processing system

11 processing instrument; Process source;

11a ion source

11b planar magnetron

11c tubular magnetron

11 d vacuum arc spray device

11 e electron beam evaporator

11 f electron beam evaporation device

12 River outlet area

13 usable river; spatial expansion forbidden zone; prohibited spatial area

Length of extent of the confined river spread; River expansion

Primary direction; Preferred direction; Flow spreading angle distribution flexible substrate; matrix or grid-shaped construction material winding direction first roller group; Role system; Roller group second roller group; Role system; Roller group third roller group; Role system; Roller group larger roller; bigger roll smaller roll; smaller role

Distance; small distance; Length amount

Open areas first open area, second open area

Shielding plate

Expansion of the river F; Extension of the river F Winkel

Amount of the direction of movement of the stack of layers of the wound material

Impact influencing instrument; second processing instrument; Gas nozzle Secondary flow; second river; flow

Secondary direction; second direction; further preferred direction pronounced angular distribution; Angular distribution a first sub-assembly b second sub-assembly

Unwind module

Take-up module

Processing mod u I

Pump nozzle

Pumping system

Ion processing module

Multi-layer coating module using tubular magnetrons

Coating module using vacuum arc spraying devices

Module coating using tubular magnetrons at a flat angle

Multi-layer coating module using an electron beam evaporator

Module conventional film coating arrangement using an electron beam evaporator

Variant coating module using vacuum arc spraying devices

Module conventional film coating arrangement using tubular magnetrons

Lock chamber, roller lock Sluice chamber, slit sluice upper left deflecting roller lower left deflecting roller upper right next to it deflecting roller large coating drum roller sluice gap sluice steam flow weft threads warp threads layer overlap, 64 'first transport direction, 65' second transport direction third transport direction fourth transport direction

Claims

1. A method for processing flexible substrates (18), in which a flexible substrate (18) for processing with a processing instrument (11) is moved through an evacuable process area of a vacuum processing system, characterized in that the flexible substrate (18) is a flexi bles Matrix or grid-shaped construction material (18) is that a first layer of the flexible substrate (18) in a first transport direction (64) and at least one second layer of the flexible substrate (18) parallel to the first layer of the flexible substrate (18) and closely spaced from this in a second transport direction (65) opposite to the first transport direction (64) is transported through a free area (26) in the evacuable process area, with at least one usable flow (13) of at least one processing instrument (11), the first and the second Position of the flexible substrate (18) during their opposite transport through the free area (26) at the same time penetrates.

2. A method for processing flexible substrates (18), in which a flexible substrate (18) for processing with a processing instrument (11) is moved through an evacuable process area of a vacuum processing system, characterized in that the flexible substrate (18) is a flexi bles A matrix or grid-shaped construction material is that a first layer of the flexible substrate (18) in a first transport direction (64 ') through a first free area (27) and subsequently in a third transport direction (66 ) is transported through a second free area (28) that the flexible substrate (18) is deflected and in at least one second layer of the flexible substrate (18) parallel to the first layer of the flexible substrate (18) in one of the third transport directions (66 ) Opposite fourth transport direction (67) through the second free area (28) and subsequently in one of the first transport direction (64 ') opposite second transport direction (65') is transported through the first free area (27) in the evacuable process area, with at least one usable flow (13) of at least one processing instrument (11) the first and the second layer of the flexible substrate (18) at her opposite Set transport through the first free area (27) and / or the second free area (28) penetrates simultaneously.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the flexible substrate (18) is deflected several times and at least in four closely spaced, preferably parallel to each other layers of the flexible substrate (18) through the free area (26) or the Free areas (27, 28) is transported.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the closely spaced, preferably parallel running layers of the flexible substrate (18) have a distance between 1 mm and 10 mm, in particular 2.5 mm, from one another.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that an angle resulting between the first and the third transport direction (64 ', 66) and the second and the fourth transport direction (65', 67) is in a range between greater than 0 degrees and less than 180 degrees.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a matrix or grid-shaped construction material (18) consisting of line and node-shaped support elements is used as the flexible substrate (18), such construction materials (18) by their special mechanical properties such as their rigidity or strength, their density, their hardness or their wear resistance are characterized.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a fabric-like matrix or grid-like construction material (18), consisting of linear and knot-shaped carrier elements is used as the flexible substrate (18), which by means of weft threads (60) and warp threads (61) can be formed.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the flexible substrate (18) is provided with an enveloping coating of the linear and node-shaped carrier elements and / or the spaces of the flexible substrate (18) are filled.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that by means of at least one-sided flow propagation (16) of a processing instrument (11) in the direction of the flexible substrate (18) a growth of a layer (62) beginning at the weft threads (60 ) of the flexible substrate (18) takes place in such a way that free spaces in the flexible substrate (18), which areas are between weft threads (60) and warp threads (61), are covered.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that by means of a processing instrument (11) with a usable flow (13) in cooperation with an action influencing instrument (33) with a secondary flow (34) a filling of free spaces of the flexible substrate ( 18), which areas are between weft threads (60) and warp threads (61), takes place.

11. Vacuum processing system for implementing the method for processing flexible substrates, the vacuum processing system having at least one unwinding module (38), a winding module (39) and an evacuable process area with a processing instrument (11) or more arranged between these modules (38, 39) Machining instruments (11), characterized in that a first roller group (20) and a second roller group (21) are arranged that in each roller group (20, 21) a plurality of smaller-diameter rollers (24) and several larger-diameter rollers (23) for deflecting the flexible substrate (18) are arranged that between the first roller group (20) and the second roller group (21) at least one free area (26) with at least one processing instrument (11) through which the flexible substrate (18) is transported in opposite directions and without a change in direction and wherein the roller groups (20, 21) are arranged in this way are that the flexible substrate (18) is transported in opposite directions in at least two closely spaced layers, preferably arranged parallel to one another, in a first transport direction (64) and a second transport direction (65).

12. Vacuum processing system for implementing the method for processing flexible substrates, the vacuum processing system at least one winding module (38), a winding module (39) and a module between these len (38, 39) arranged evacuable process area with a processing instrument (11) or several processing instruments (11), characterized in that a first roller group (20), a second roller group (21) and a third roller group (22) are arranged, that a first free area (27) is arranged between the first roller group (20) and the third roller group (22) and a second free area (28) is arranged between the second roller group (21) and the third roller group (22), the roller groups (20 , 21, 22) are arranged such that the flexible substrate (18) is transported in at least two closely spaced layers, preferably parallel to one another, in opposite directions and without a change in direction through the first free area (27) and the second free area (28) , wherein in the free areas (27, 28) at least one processing instrument (11) is arranged.

13. Vacuum processing system according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that in the free area (26, 27, 28) a first processing instrument (11) over a first side of the closely spaced, preferably parallel, opposing layers of the flexible substrate (18) and a further second processing instrument (11) are arranged over a second side, opposite to the first side, of the closely spaced, preferably parallel, oppositely running layers of the flexible substrate (18).

14. Vacuum processing system according to one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that in the free area (26, 27, 28) a first processing instrument (11) over a first side of the closely spaced, preferably parallel, opposing layers of the flexible substrate ( 18) and a further second processing instrument (33) are arranged over the same side of the closely spaced, preferably parallel, oppositely running layers of the flexible substrate (18), the first processing instrument (11) with its preferred direction (16) at an angle a to the surface of the flexible substrate (18) and the second processing instrument (33) are arranged with its preferred direction (35) aligned at an angle different from the angle to the surface of the flexible substrate (18).

15. Vacuum processing system according to one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that a processing instrument (11) an ion source (11a), a planar magnetron (11b), a tubular magnetron (11c), a vacuum arc spray device (11d), an electron beam evaporator (11e), an electron beam evaporation device (11f) or an arc evaporation device.